Suzanna Sheed: Parents want their children to get the best possible education they can. They weren’t getting that back when I got elected in 2014 and so a process of creation of the Shepparton Education Plan took place and so now we’ve got a state-of-the-art high school in Shepparton, probably the best in regional Australia, certainly regional Victoria. There is a doctor in the school, there is a paediatrician in the school, there’s a range of things.
Diane Teasdale: I’ve got to say, I’m not a fan of what I call the stupid school. I live around the corner from it and I’m absolutely fed up with Year 12s parking their cars outside my house. It was poorly planned and I think the whole thing is a disaster. We need another tech school in Shepparton. We need more learning in the schools and less woke rubbish.
Cheryl Hammer: Parents do want their children to have a good education, but they also want choice on where they can send their children. To that end, we have committed to a second secondary school. I have problems with the Shepparton Education Plan. It doesn’t marry up between early education, it totally ignores middle or primary education and the secondary education model is not fit for this region.
Ian Christoe: I’m a great believer in state-funded education. That’s why I’d like to see the Greater Shepparton Secondary College succeed and it’s well on track to doing that. Early childhood education is just as important, but sadly neglected most of the time, as is primary education to a large extent. In terms of mental health, secular pastoral care is essential in schools, particularly in the later years.
Question - A lot of measures are not being funded, such as school excursions and attendance at sporting events. There’s also a lack of professional help for students because of a more centralised process for teacher placements. Do you support a secondary school in Mooroopna?
Diane Teasedale: I do think the Mooroopna school should be reopened.
Cheryl Hammer: I’d have to look at that and the impact, but obviously the impact the schools are telling us and teachers are telling us that there’s a real negative impact. The Mooroopna school, we’ve said and I’ve been advocating really strongly for a second secondary school site in Greater Shepparton and I think Mooroopna has got a strong case.
Ian Christoe: If we want to get the best qualified teachers we need to provide a package to encourage the best and brightest to go into teaching. The Greens also believe schools should be funded sufficiently ... so people from less well off families don’t have to miss out on things. Unless something can be done to provide something that people actually want to attend, I’d like to see a very strong case put forward for why the (Mooroopna) school would need to be reopened.
Kim O’Keeffe: The last thing we’d want to see is underfunding for social activities where they may not get that opportunity at home or the parents can’t afford to take the kids away or may not have the time. With regard to the (Mooroopna) school, we’ve talked about having a consultation process for the community to have input into what that should look like.
Suzanna Sheed: I’d certainly like to see the funding that’s required to make sure that that sort of thing (school excursions) still happens. As far as the Mooroopna secondary site goes, there’s great opportunity here, but I think it is so important that whatever happens here ... that the consultation involves the people of Mooroopna.
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